Côte d'Ivoire Opens Applications for 30-Company Tech Support Programme as AI Adoption Becomes a Ministry Pillar

Côte d’Ivoire has opened applications for two government-backed tech support programmes that will back 30 digital companies over 24 months, launched alongside a ministry roadmap that elevates artificial intelligence to one of seven strategic pillars for 2026–2028. Minister of Digital Transition and Technological Innovation Djibril Ouattara unveiled Ivoire Tech Next 15 and Ivoire Tech Scale Up at the Sofitel Abidjan Hôtel Ivoire on 29 July; each programme will support 15 companies. Applications are free, close on 13 September, shortlisted projects will face an independent international jury, and winners will be announced in Abidjan at the end of September.

"Develop digital leaders in Côte d'Ivoire," Ouattara said, describing the combined effort as part of a broader push to position the country as a regional technology hub and to improve access to funding, markets and skills for local firms.

Programme design, eligibility and government procurement

The two tracks target distinct stages of company maturity. Ivoire Tech Next 15 is aimed at startups headquartered in Côte d’Ivoire that have operated for at least one year, generate established and growing revenue from an innovative product or service, are majority-owned by their founders, and are current on tax and social obligations.

Ivoire Tech Scale Up sets a higher threshold: legal establishment in Côte d’Ivoire, between three and five completed financial statements, at least 75% Ivorian ownership of capital, an average turnover of CFA 500 million over three to five years with at least 65% of revenue from digital activities, a product already in market, and a minimum of 10 employees. The local-ownership and digital-revenue thresholds will exclude foreign-controlled entities and companies for which digital work is ancillary.

• Programmes: Ivoire Tech Next 15 (startups) and Ivoire Tech Scale Up (SMEs), 15 companies each
• Application deadline: 13 September; winners announced end of September
• Launch: 29 July, Sofitel Abidjan Hôtel Ivoire
• Eligibility highlights: CFA 500 million average turnover, 75% Ivorian ownership, minimum 10 employees (Scale Up)

Concurrently, the ministry announced the creation of Ivoire GovTech Lab, a platform to publish government digital projects and allow startups and SMEs to apply directly online. The platform is intended to create a more open route into public procurement, increasing early demand opportunities for domestic technology firms rather than routing contracts solely through established contractors.

The programmes sit inside the National Digital Development Strategy and align with the National Development Plan 2026–2030. The ministry roadmap is organised around seven strategic pillars and 40 major projects covering connectivity, public administration digitalisation, technological innovation, artificial intelligence adoption, digital skills development, e‑commerce promotion, and cybersecurity and digital trust.

Côte d’Ivoire has already secured a $95 million funding commitment from the United Arab Emirates announced in late 2025 to build a modular data centre, sovereign cloud and an AI and innovation centre of excellence, alongside AI-powered upgrades to its civil service management system. The government has also signed memoranda with UAE-based G42 Presight on public sector digitalisation and national strategy development, and adopted a national AI strategy that was folded into a shared governance framework adopted by six Francophone West African countries last month.

Officials have set a measurable target: over the next three years the government aims to double the digital sector’s contribution to national GDP, currently estimated between 6% and 8%. Delivering on that ambition will hinge on execution — including whether the supported cohorts, the GovTech Lab procurement channel and the local-ownership requirements translate into sustained revenue growth, broader market access and repeatable public contracts for Ivorian technology firms.